We love seeing puppies in the practice. We consider ourselves to be very lucky — we have the best job in the world! Our veterinary clinic, doing as much canine reproduction as we do, see many healthy litters of purpose bred dogs, healthy purebred dogs and others, every day.

Our clients are very careful to health screen the potential parents. And to deliver their pups with care. And most importantly to effectively socialize their pups — Ian Dunbar says 100 experiences in 100 days. That is hard but rewarding work.

What can you and your veterinarian do to enhance this great start your breeder has you off to?

To make every visit like a visit to a smorgasbord restaurant.

We feed chicken baby food, squeeze cheese, ginger snaps and peanut butter to those babies. We feed it while we are giving vaccinations. We feed it while we are microchipping, trimming toenails, taking rectal temperatures, and looking in their ears.

We can also get most, but not all, kittens to eat chicken baby food.

If you have a pet or a family member with a food sensitivity, bring your own food treats. But make them super yummy — dog biscuits don’t count.

There are 2 things we CANNOT run our veterinary practice without: wait for it……… toilet paper and chicken baby food.

We want your puppy, especially if they are going to be large breed, to learn to get on and off the exam table without stress.

Because we have 5 lift tables in the practice, we want the big puppies to learn to ride up and down on the tables. That way, when they are big, full grown dogs, they will still love the table, the vaccinations, and having their ears examined. I don’t want to wrangle your dog or cat when they come in. I want them to DRAG you in the door because they can’t wait to have a snack in the exam room. Bringing them hungry and often and having great experiences makes all the difference in the world for most dogs.

Be sure to allow enough time at your veterinary visit. Come extra times, where we don’t do anything except feed him or her, especially if the puppy or kitten hesitates to eat at their visit. We are willing to take all the time it takes if you are willing also.

There is a lot for puppies and kittens to learn and it is up to the owners and all of the veterinary staff to make veterinary visits fun and food-filled.